A day like any other
by Caramel Custard
Summary: Saving villages, hunting monsters, fighting bad guys and finding loot are all a part of the job when it comes to adventuring. It's as basic as breathing to them. Nothing could be more simple. But never before had Shintaro been faced with a task so daunting as this; talking to a beautiful woman at the local tavern. Surely this was scarier than facing any dragon.


_**A/N:**_ _Setting; in the magical world of Pethuania, where our party had just attempted and failed a mission to one of the seven Hells. One of our party's characters had died, so we introduced his new one here. This was also my first time writing anything quite so scandalous, so keep that in mind when reading! This was a collaborative work between myself and Alexandra's player._

 _Please enjoy reading about Shintaro's bumbling attempts at picking up women!_

He met her on a day like any other.

Or at least it would have been, if Shintaro hadn't literally been to Hell and back that morning.

He'd never ever _ever_ been considered a morning person, but today was especially bad. Normally he only had to deal with being overtired and grumpy, but this morning was special.

He and his new group of companions traveled into the depths of the coldest circle of Hell, in an attempt to close the portal that led there from the other side.

The things they dealt with over there were horrific, to say the least.

And they lost two of their strongest party members in a cruel twist of fate.

Needless to say it ended in bitter defeat, and the party returning with their tails between their legs looking more ragged than usual.

They did manage to save someone- a _mooseman_ , as it turned out; who had been stuck in there for years. Ironically, only Hell _knows_ how he survived for that long.

All that aside, Shintaro, the moose and Racter went straight to the tavern upon returning.

They were ready to eat away their frustration and drink away their sorrows.

Shintaro had a hunch the Mooseman wasn't actually upset, but rather just wanted to get drunk.

Forget surviving in Hell, it was a miracle this guy wasn't _thrown out of the tavern_ the way he was acting.

It was not unreasonable though; wherever it was he originally came from, it was probably vastly different to the capital.

Eventually one of the wood elves from the party turned up.

For all he was worth though, _(which admittedly, probably wasn't much.)_ Shintaro couldn't remember her name.

It didn't matter though, after a few servings of ale it didn't look like she cared too much for names.

For a large majority of the afternoon, Shintaro sat there awkwardly with the barbarian draped over him, being much closer and much more _touchy_ than he really would have cared for.

He wasn't good at handling situations like this though, _especially_ if he himself was involved.

He just sort of… Accepted his fate while she climbed all over him and he uncomfortably shifted to try to get her to move on occasion.

It didn't help that she would start telling him off when he so much as glanced in someone else's direction- even though his only intention was to avoid eye contact with her.

The only other thing worth noting was Racter's drunken antics.

While Shintaro had kept things light during the day, Racter had gone right for the strong stuff, Downing a whole bottle in mere moments.

The gruff looking 30-something male was parading himself around the tavern letting as many people as he could know that ' _she used to be a queen'_ and that 'these _peasants_ owed her their respect and undying adoration.'

Honestly, the way he would go up to someone at the bar and look _down_ at them- regardless of height- was quite impressive; if not downright hilarious.

Shintaro almost envied the confidence the drunk man seemed to exude, and only wished he had that kind of bravery, if only it didn't come side by side with the lack of common sense.

The evening continued like this, with Shintaro picking at the remains of his meal, too afraid to leave his seat to go and buy another drink for fear the girl draping over him would start yelling at him for leaving her.  
After what seemed like an eternity, The other wood elf, Clare- as he recalled; walked into the tavern as well. She seemed slightly flushed, but not out of breath. She looked as though she'd been running, though he couldn't tell if it had been away from anyone; or perhaps after them.

In the most pointed way he possibly could; he looked at her with the most pathetic facial expression he could muster, willing up all the desperation inside of him. This face had only one purpose. One message to convey: ' _Please save me'._

Although she clearly noticed him, he thought he could see her holding back an audible groan.

As long as he'd known her, she hadn't been especially friendly, but didn't seem like a _bad_ person.

He didn't really have many others he could turn to now anyway.  
He certainly couldn't ask _her majesty the queen_ for help right now, he thought; glancing briefly over at Racter who was demanding someone bow to him at that very moment.

Despite her irritation, she did come over and help him; albeit begrudgingly.

"Hey, Leia." She was speaking directly at the woman who was leaning all her weight on Shintaro (Which he would rather not admit he was struggling with.)

She gestured over at the bar not-so-casually before speaking again now that she had the barbarian's attention. "That man over there is really checking you out, you should go talk to him."

Leia's attention was instantly shifted (and her weight) off of Shintaro and towards the first man she saw along the bar.

Within moments she stood up and turned to Shintaro, giving him a playful smile with an "I'll see you later." Before moving on to spend time with her new victim.

He shuddered a little at the thought.

As bad as Shintaro felt for the guy, he was mostly just thankful that she was finally gone and he could breathe again.

"Thank you… so much." He spoke with genuine gratitude in his voice. Never before had he felt so indebted to another living being.

"Your thanks are unnecessary." She shrugged it off, turning away so she was no longer looking directly at him. "Hard not to help when you looked at me so pathetically."

He let out a soft chuckle reflecting on how lame he must have looked.

It's okay- it's not like he wasn't used to being seen that way. He was by no means a strong or handsome man, and least of all courageous.

Being a wimp was one of the few things he seemed to excel at.

She ended up sitting down at his table after she ordered herself a drink, but didn't speak to him.  
They simply sat in silence leaving him to his thoughts. His eyes continued wandering to the other members of the troupe scattered about the tavern.

The man who controlled the sands to his will- currently proclaiming his right to rule over the fools in this tavern as their queen, as it should be.  
The Moose from Hell- Shouting what he assumed were profanities at someone behind the counter, although his accent was thick enough that it was difficult to tell.

The halfling who stood as tall as he did- when they were on their steed; a _raptor_ of all things.

The Wood Elf scout sitting across from him- who he could never seem to get a solid read on,

And the barbarian who could cleave a man within one inch of their life- who he was _absolutely_ not afraid of.

An interesting group, to say the least.

And one he was glad to be a part of, for the time being.

The evening carried on like this with revelries and a general feeling of cheer surrounding them- from all but the angry Moose.  
The night began to settle and the lights from outside began to dim as the sun went to rest and the torches in the street were lit to take it's place.

The tavern began to go quiet all of a sudden, though Shintaro didn't know the reason why. His table had been quiet enough for the past hour regardless.

He turned his head to see what it was all of the patrons seemed to be looking at and his eyes settled on that of a woman coming on to stage.

It was only slightly elevated, so he could see the woman quite clearly, and take note of her features.  
And by Fistandor's name _did he take note of her features._

He had to catch himself so as to not gape at her. He was by no means a ladies' man, but he didn't want to be rude. He knew his manners, at the very least.  
He also knew it was rude to stare, but he really couldn't seem to help himself.

Perhaps it was the way she stood still; her flowing outfit seeming to compliment her form perfectly. Or maybe it was the way she _moved-_ dancing with a sense of elegance that flowed from her every step.

It certainly may have been the way she sung, her voice like a chorus of a thousand angels- Or the way she played her harp, her fingers dancing lightly from string to string, plucking at them with trained precision.

It made him feel giddy; almost as though she plucked his heartstrings with each note she played.

Needless to say, he was captivated.

He couldn't really tell how long her performance went for. He just knew that it wasn't long enough.

When she descended from whatever glorious podium she belonged on and came down to the bar to mingle with these mere mortals, Shintaro's gaze followed closely behind her.  
A few people approached her and made comments about her performance, commending her on a job well done or just flat out trying to hit on her.

One of these people was the Halfling that had been travelling with them- Tedal, if he was correct; though they definitely fell into the _second_ category of people who approached her.

Tedal had always confused him. They were an extremely ambiguous person, and Shintaro couldn't quite place if they were a guy or a girl. Sometimes he wasn't even sure he wanted to know.  
Well, regardless of gender; they were trying to hit on the performer. And if the fact that it was obvious enough to him at a glance wasn't enough, the things they were saying made it sound like they were downright trying to _seduce_ her.  
Shintaro had to applaud their bravery, if nothing else.  
He could hardly bare the thought of even talking to her.

But then that was just it: The thought. It had crossed his mind.  
And it was _there to stay._

He sat there staring at her like an idiot, watching the halfling's attempts at winning her over, and daydreaming to himself; imagining what he would be doing or saying in Tedal's position.

He imagined himself being suave and cool, charming the lady with ease using his quick thinking and smooth words.

Of course, it was all entirely in his imagination. There's no way in a million years that would ever _actually_ happen.  
 _...but what if it did?_

He cursed himself for theorizing so hard. If there was even the slightest chance of success, he was usually willing to try it.

What did he have to lose anyway? His pride? He wasn't really sure he had all that much to begin with anyway.  
The thought circled around in his head four or five times, constantly attacked by an onslaught of doubts and insecurities.  
 _Just do it!_ One voice would say; _You'll just make a fool of yourself. She probably already has a boyfriend anyway._ Another would reply.

It was frustrating. He felt as though he had two conflicting voices constantly arguing in his mind, and it was giving him a headache.

Eventually, if not just to _shut them up;_ he stood up dramatically with the full intention of approaching her.  
Clare obviously noticed this, and was a little startled since they'd been sitting in silence for so long by his sudden movement. She didn't say a word as he stumbled away like a drunken idiot, though.

It's not that he was really all that drunk though, but he was an idiot.

That was the only reason he was klutzing his way through the tavern to where the object of his affections lay in wait.  
He only managed to run into two chairs and one person on his way across the establishment before finally making it to his destination.

He was so _so_ close to her right now. She was right there. Next to him. In _arm's reach_.  
She turned to face the person who had approached her, and looked at him with her deep green eyes, the colour of a lush forest in the middle of spring. He gulped as he watched her eyelashes flutter when she blinked in his direction, staring directly at him with her piercing gaze.  
In that one moment he both simultaneously regretted ever approaching her and was the proudest he'd ever been of himself.

He must have looked like an idiot though; standing there shaking like a leaf in the wind, as though a single touch would make him topple over.  
He was holding onto his glass so tightly, somehow feeling that it was his only lifeline, and that if he were to let go of it he would surely die.

"H-h-hey there!" He spluttered out suddenly, like he would to an old friend "I thought your p-performance was beautiful!" _Just like you-_ he held himself back from adding at the end.

He thought that if he swallowed any harder than he was, he'd probably lose some internal organs somewhere along the line.

She turned with surprise at the new voice, anything was better than the halfling at this point. "Oh, hey there," She said warmly, a tone of absolute geniality. "Thank you so much!"

Smiling as she spoke, she then mouthed the words "Help me", as her eyes spoke of the discomfort she was feeling from the unwanted attention.

Shintaro picked up on her message.  
How could he not? He was following every movement that her perfectly shaped lips were making.

He felt a sudden rush of comradery, recalling his own predicament with the Wood elf barbarian only about an hour or so prior. He felt it was his job, nay; his _duty_ to save this fair maiden from her discomfort.  
"S-so, uhm; if it's alright with you, would you mind joining me at my table?" He fumbled around with the words, but he was fairly certain it came out comprehensible.

"Ah," she said with a brief hesitation, her face taking on a blank, slightly startled look. She'd gotten used to men around here leaving her be that it wasn't something she had to answer often. "I'd love to, it's been a long while since I've spent anytime with someone new and…" She glanced back at Tedal briefly, "Pleasant," the smile returning to her face.

His brain began to go into overdrive.  
What?  
She said yes?  
Was this what _success_ feels like?

He regained his thought process and his eyes wandered to Tedal who was shooting him a nasty look.  
He smiled and gave them a small wave, just… acknowledging their existence, for the most part. He'd rather not get into a fight with them, but he had a job to do here.

"Excellent!" He finally responded, both surprised and pleased at the result.  
He turned to the barkeep and ordered two more glasses of ale.  
When the man behind the counter was done pouring their drinks and Shintaro paid him his coin, he looked back at the woman besides him and gave her a dorky smile. "Shall we?"

"Very well," she replied, delight lightly gliding through the words she spoke.

The two of them made a move towards an empty table, Shintaro leading the way.  
This was probably the first time he'd ever done something like this.  
Actually seeing a pretty lady and _going up to them_ and _talking to them_ of all things; let alone inviting them to a table and buying them a drink.  
He felt incredibly giddy.

He had successfully saved the princess, and was feeling overly proud of himself.

Not that he'd done much, really.  
In fact, he'd barely done anything at all.

She owed him nothing. What if she wasn't even grateful? What if she didn't even _care?_  
I mean, he couldn't _blame_ her. He hadn't done anything all that impressive.  
Infact, she was probably only using him as an excuse to get away from Tedal. Yeah, that was probably it. Infact, that was _definitely_ it.  
Any second now, he'd sit down at the table and she'd just scoff at him; with a " _What? You thought_ I _was going to talk to you? HA!"_ And then she would laugh at him with cruelty in her voice, enjoying every last second of his needless torture.  
 _I guess it still wouldn't be so bad_ he thought to himself briefly, and then quickly shook his head and decided to banish that thought for good.

It was too late to dwell on all of that anyway; they'd arrived at the table.  
For a moment he was about to sit down, but asked her to excuse him for a second and went back where he'd originally come from, speaking briefly with Clare, who had been sitting there this whole time.

"Hey Clare." He started casually "We're sitting over there and I was wondering if-"

She didn't let him finish, interrupting his invitation  
"Hold that thought. I don't want any part in it; I'd only get in your way." She said with a bit of a snap. She finished the last of the liquid in her glass then stood up and walked off to the bar, presumably to get a refill.

Shintaro stood there for a moment staring after her, wondering if he'd somehow offended her.  
That seemed like the kind of thing he would do.  
Without pondering on the thought for too much longer, he went back to the table where a beautiful elf was waiting on him, and surprisingly; was still there.  
He'd half expected her to use the chance to escape.

He pulled a chair out and offered it to her before going and sitting down on the other side of the round wooden table.  
It wasn't large, so they were still quite close in proximity even on opposite sides.

He settled into his chair and then came to the realization that it wasn't over. This wasn't the end goal. Now that he'd gotten this far, he actually had to keep up a _conversation_ with her!  
He tried to hold back the dread and regret and start up some smalltalk.

"So" He decided to start simple "Have you done any training for your performance? Your d-dancing and singing was uh... really something else." He stared down into his glass, finding eye contact with it much easier, as he recalled her dance in vivid detail.

She giggled at his obvious shyness in the situation. She thought it was cute, refreshing in a way. "I've trained in dancing a lot, but never anything that anyone might call professional, it's something I've always wanted to be good at but it never really came naturally. Singing on the other hand, well, I've been doing that since I could talk, it's such a lovely way to express yourself." Her gaze lingered on him a little, fondly unfocused for a moment as though she was remembering something.

She giggled again, this time capturing his attention in full. "Isn't there something important you're forgetting?" She asked, tilting her head ever so slightly in a playful attempt at teasing him.

"Huh?" He looked up at her with confusion. Had he said something wrong? What was that laugh? Was she laughing at _him?_ She probably was. This was exactly how he'd imagined it. This was her way of torturing him with confusing mind games.  
He started to panic. What had he forgotten? Probably something _really_ important "Uhm, well…" He started stuttering terribly, trying to find something he didn't know he'd lost.

"OH!" He said with a sudden realization. "Yes! Of course!" As though it had been obvious "You were amazing with the harp as well! I could hardly believe it!" _Ha._ His genius brain had saved him.

Another stream of laughter escaped her, "Well thank you, but that's not quite what I meant.." She continued, leaning towards him slightly. "If I were you, I'd probably want to know the name of the person I'd just started talking to, no?" She looked him in the eyes, deep green eyes utterly dancing with amusement.

"Ah! Yes! Why didn't I think of that…" He muttered that last bit to himself. "Uhm, so, if you don't mind my asking; what is your name?"

"Alexandra," she replied, pushing her hair back behind her ear where it had slipped forward.

"Alexandra…" He spoke, sounding out the name for himself. "That's a pretty name." This one wasn't supposed to be out loud, but it came out that way. He was daydreaming to himself for a long moment before she spoke again, since he clearly wasn't coming back with a response on his own, and needed to be led along at this point.

"And you, my dashing knight in shining armour?" The playful tone mimicking the way her laughter danced from her lips, more over the comment he had made about her name than anything else.

"Right!" He sounded alarmed, snatched from his wandering thoughts. "I-I'm Shintaro." He didn't wait for her response, but instead began rambling on by himself, eager to justify his unusual name. "My mother named me- apparently it's a foreign name from a land far to the east. It's supposed to mean ' _he who shines'_ or something like that. I know it's pretty weird." He started to laugh awkwardly to himself, hoping she didn't think him too strange, or at least not as strange as he seemed to think he was.

"I think it's a great name," she beamed, before gesturing to the rest of the tavern "it suits you, you're certainly a ray of sun in this place." A sigh escaped her as she relaxed in her chair a little before continuing. "Things aren't as lively as they used to be," the words were quiet and faded.

Her eyes wandered the walls and ceiling for a few moments before resting back on Shintaro. "So, are you from around here? I've never seen you before."

"Me?" He responded, surprised by her choice of subject. "Ha, well; yeah… I've actually lived in Larasic for the past five years but I uh, don't get out all that often so it's not too much of a surprise that you've never seen me before; unless you also frequent herbalists and the library as often as I do!" He tried not to cringe at his own attempt of being funny. He _really_ wasn't good at being funny.  
He could make people laugh easily enough, but it was more often than not _at_ him, not with him.

She continued to stare for a short moment, taking in his appearance and mannerism. There was something eye catching about him, she thought, or maybe it wasn't about him, maybe it just was him. She blinked suddenly, realising what she was doing, "Sorry," she said quietly, going the very slightest shade of red, hardly noticeable in the light of the tavern. "Herbalists? So you're into medicine then?" She asked, enjoying the conversation with Shintaro itself more than the content.

"Well, medicine yes, but it's so much more than that. See, I'm an Alchemist." As he began to talk about his profession, his face, demeanor and conversational skills all seemed to light up. Alchemy, and more than that; creating things was his passion.

Invention was his greatest tool, and to him, Alchemy encompassed everything he lived for.

He began on a tangent about his job, how he worked his own hours (which were usually long and tiresome) and rarely earnt money for his work, but loved it all the same. Before he realized it, he was talking her ear off about some sort of herb or another with incredible properties and he had to stop himself rather suddenly. That was rude.  
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to go on like that!" He apologized. "I just… get a bit like that, sometimes…" _aah, I can't believe I just did that._

Alexandra for her part listened intently, drawn in by the love he had for his craft. A strangely beautiful thing, she thought. His passion as he spoke was contagious, she found herself on more than one occasion having the sudden urge to interrupt with a question or interject with something relating to a field she knew little about, but refrained from fear she'd disrupt his new found confidence.  
When he eventually came to a close she sat in wonder, just staring again, a small, contented smile on her lips. "It's okay," she said, softly, "You really are a strange one, but I enjoyed hearing about your work. You should show me something sometime."

"Of c-course! I'd love to!" He spluttered. He could hardly believe all of this himself.

Not only was this woman sitting here listening to him ramble on, she seemed to be _enjoying_ his company, of all things.

He gestured at the barkeep to bring them some refills, noticing that her glass had become empty during his spiel.

"But enough about me," he started up their conversation again "that's a subject I'm far too familiar with- tell me about yourself.

I'm sure you're much more interesting."

"Well, it really depends what you want to know, there's a lot to tell. I could start anywhere." Her eyes wandered at the comment, as though something was paying on her mind.

"Anywhere" he sighed "I want to know it all." He said, still somewhere between reality and a daydream. He was content just to listen to her honey-laced voice no matter what she was talking about.

Not that he wasn't interested in what she had to say, or anything.

Alexandra pondered for a moment, trying to decide just where she wanted to start, and even, how much she really wanted to tell. She felt oddly comfortable around Shintaro though, so decided to start with her family and where she grew up, about her parents back home and the things that she did as a child. Singing came up many times, by the stream and in the trees; to the birds and sometimes just for herself.

After a while the conversation turned to work and the things she had done over the years and her fondness for cooking sweets, in particular chocolate. She loved the faces of people who tried her creations and their expressions of delight. She recounted at one point the tale of her first attempt and the look of absolute horror on her father's face as he ate it. He told her it was good though and that she should keep striving to be better. In return she humoured him by pretending not to notice the expression on his face.

Shintaro seemed excited by the fact that she liked making sweets- as he very much likened cooking to alchemy and dabbled a bit in it himself. Or maybe _experimented_ was a better word.

Some of the things he tried to make came out rather questionably.

Next was the tale of tailoring, and that after moving to Larassic some 60 years ago, she had taken up making clothes. It was another outlet for creativity that she enjoyed, and the beauty that she could produce. On occasion she would even sell them: young girls in plain but elegant hand crafted dresses, older men with perfectly fitting outfits for a special event, and anything in between. Sometime after being to sell her clothing, she decided to provide the clothes to those that needed them. She didn't need gold anymore than what she earnt already, and so strove to provide those of lesser fortune.

All the while there was the singing, everywhere she went, she would sing. Children loved it and more often than not, she ended up with a small crowd of them wanting to hear a song. Sometimes they were simple songs, other times epics woven by the thread of music. Nowhere existed that she didn't want to live through song, taverns, shops, fields; even if it had to be within her own mind, a song was always brewing, ready to pour forth. (She even gave Shintaro a small example, singing about their encounter thus far).

Shintaro had to control himself from _crying_ right then and there.

She was so unbelievably, unequivocally _cute._

And he was trying very hard to be manly..

Later came dancing as she tried to find a way to adapt her body to the flow of song. It took many long months, but eventually she began to find a rhythm and melody in her whole body, a way to not only sing but perform her music. It quickly became popular for people to ask her to dance even when she wasn't singing.

Eventually the harp was added as a layer unto its own, but as Alexandra continued, and the time began to pass, her tale slowly became more somber and melancholic. The light of her flame had begun to fade and now the energy through all of her recounting was all but lost. The tales of music were coming to a close, and a storm felt as though it was on the wind.

After finishing the last of what might have been her eleventh drink, she let out a heavy, emotion laden sigh, before resting her head in folded arms upon the table. "Sorry," she spoke after a long silence.

"N-not at all!" He spoke drearily, stifling a yawn. He'd amassed quite a collection of glasses himself, setting down his fifteenth, if you included the ones he drank earlier in the day.

"This was great. Just this." He smiled in content, patting the table with his empty hand, probably half asleep judging by his expression. "I don't get to shpend much time with p-pretty ladies like yourshelf very often. They usually just laugh at a distance, or at least-" he hiccuped in the middle of his sentence, "I asshume they're laughin' at me."

He started laughing, hands still both on the table. It was rather loud considering the tavern had gotten a lot quieter this late.

"But not you!" He was speaking jovially, almost yelling. "You went and put up with me for a whoooole night! You're _amazing!_ " He was genuinely very pleased with himself, and her

Alexandra just looked at him, a small smile on her face. Her eyes told a different story though, unfocused and lost, as though the weight of many years had suddenly struck like an anvil.

Shintaro's demeanor dropped along with hers, snapping out of his drunken stupor and realizing how distressed she seemed. Maybe it was all of the alcohol, or maybe there was something else bothering her.  
Either way she seemed way too out of it to respond to him anytime soon.

He had a closer look to make sure she was okay (he was well versed in healing, after all.) and then quietly left their table and made his way to the only barkeeper left.

When he got there, he asked the man if Alexandra lived somewhere nearby, as he intended to make sure she got home safely.  
The man nodded, noting that they had been sitting together all night enjoying eachother's company, and that she had been familiar enough with this man to give him her name.

He gave Shintaro the directions to her house.

Wandering back over to their table, he gently lifted one of her arms over and around his head so that he could take most of her weight.

"C'mon" he said lightly "Let's get you home."

Without much resistance, she shifted herself to lean on Shintaro, finding it surprisingly difficult to move without his assistance.

And together, they made their way out of the tavern.

* * *

The evening air was quite warm.  
Or maybe it was the buzz he got from drinking as much as he had that made him feel that way.

It certainly could have been the beautiful lady half hanging from his side at the time that was doing it. Infact that was probable. Much more likely.

Turns out that she only lived a few blocks away from the tavern, probably because she worked there he assumed.  
It made sense; that's why he lived so close to the Library at the mage's college, after all.  
Being that she lived so close, it didn't take them very long to get to her house at all.  
They were only passed by a few strangers in the streets, some of them giving him an odd look to which he bashfully turned away and tried to ignore.

When they got to her front door, he helped her to stand upright, making sure she wasn't too out of it.  
"Have you got your key on you?" He asked.

"Oh," she answered blankly, "yeah, it's here." Fumbling through pockets she eventually produced a small key to the door. Her hands trembled as she went to insert it into the lock, something more akin to distress than intoxication.

As she struggled with the door, he held her up to steady her, making sure she didn't topple over as it swung open.  
When the door did open, he helped walk her inside too, strangely feeling a little more courageous than normal.

He walked her inside and followed her direction which led right to her bed.  
He fought with his nerves to stay calm as he assisted her to lay down and check one last time to see if she was okay.  
She certainly seemed alright _physically_ but he had a feeling there was something else wrong.  
Either way, he was sure it wasn't something that a good night's rest and a sleep in wouldn't fix. That always worked for him.

Deciding it was the best course of action, he bid her a quiet and gentle "goodnight." Before turning to leave out the way he came.

"Shintaro," she called after him, before a brief pause, "You can stay if you want to."

Shintaro stopped dead in his tracks. _What did she just say?_ He mustn't have heard her correctly. There's no way that she just asked him what he thinks she asked him.  
Or maybe she meant it differently. Probably a "You can stay for a cup of tea and then be on your merry way" sort of thing.  
Hesitantly he turned around, and faced her form, still lying on her bed looking a little disheveled.  
"O-okay." He said quietly, unsure of himself.  
He stood there awkwardly for a while, trying to decide what the right course of action was.  
Was it lame of him to admit that he was 28 and had never once been inside a girl's bedroom _alone_ with them?  
This was foreign territory; and it terrified him. He thought he may have felt more comfortable back in Hell right now if he couldn't get his frazzled nerves to calm down.

Sitting up, Alexandra's hair now hung loosely around her face. She looked up at him, a scared look in her eyes almost pleading him to stay, as though she couldn't bear the thought of being alone tonight. She held out her hand unsteadily, beckoning him back over.

Each step faster than the next, he anxiously walked over to the bed and sat down besides her, his movement jagged and uncertain.

He wasn't really certain what he was supposed to do or how he was supposed to react to a situation like this, so he was just planning on following her lead. She says sit down, he sits down. She says jump, he says 'how high?' That sort of thing.  
Although every time she moved or went to say something he'd feel his heart almost jump out of his chest. This feeling was nauseating, to say the least.

Her gaze followed him the whole way as he sat down next to her, this man who she'd barely met. There was something safe and reassuring about him. Suddenly she was overcome with emotion out of nowhere, perhaps it was the alcohol and the memories, or perhaps it was the way he'd treated her so kindly. Without even thinking, she embraced him in a tight hug, tears slowly cascading down her face.

 _HELP_ was the first thing that went through his mind _W-w-what do I DO?!_  
He was really glad he at least had the self control not to say that out loud. _That_ would have been awkward. As if this wasn't awkward enough.  
He had no idea what was wrong, was it something he'd done? Or said?  
He couldn't remember anything he may have said to offend her, but then again they had gotten pretty drunk.  
Either way he wasn't going to find out like this, and decided the only thing for it was to ask her outright.  
"A-are you okay?" He asked her tentatively (Even though she was very obviously not) and reached an arm around her to complete the hug, hoping not to overstep his bounds.  
The last thing he wanted to do was mess up and do something she didn't want.

But it sounded like the kind of thing a screw up like him would do.

The returned touch only caused her to clutch him tighter, the tears now being accompanied by a quiet sob. After what may have been an eternity for Shintaro, the sobbing started to die down.

Alexandra leant back from the hug, one hand still on his shoulder while the other wiped her tears away. She nodded at him, a small acknowledgement of the question he had asked, a tiny smile on her lips now. She stared into his eyes, completely captivated by them, the vivid amber betrayed a multitude of emotions: concern, nervousness, confusion; but most of all she saw a deep seated kindness in them. She just kept staring, utterly entranced by how beautiful they were.

"You sure?" It echoed in the silent room.  
He was freaking out, on the inside at least; but he was more concerned with her right now.

Something was obviously upsetting her quite a lot, and he felt pretty powerless about it all, considering. He just wished there was something he could do to help.

"I'll be fine," came the reply, a slight cracking in her voice as she tried to be brave for him, a wide, if not strained, smile on her face. She realised now it was making her feel worse seeing him so worried over her and she wanted him to be happy, just as much as she wanted to forget the pain she felt.

She looked at him again, taking in everything, not just his eyes. Before she knew it, she was moving on impulsive, leaning forward to kiss him. It was a slow motion, and by the time she'd noticed what she was doing, she'd already started smiling genuinely again.

Shintaro's brain went into overdrive as she leant closer.  
What was she _doing?_ Was she going to eat him alive? OR was she doing what he thought she was doing?  
He didn't know. He couldn't tell. Normally he was a pretty perceptive person, but right now he was as clueless as they come. He could do nothing but brace himself.

She leant in and closed the gap between them, her eyes closed and a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.  
Shintaro however had his eyes wide open, staring with disbelief at what was happening. His glasses had fallen askew, but it didn't matter. Even with perfect 20/20 eyesight, his vision still would have been blurry. It took him a moment to adjust to his surroundings again after the initial fireworks going off in his mind, but once he had, he took the most initiative he probably ever had and pressed back into the kiss himself, his hand instinctively moving to the back of her head to support her.

It was, strange, at the very least. But it wasn't bad. Her lips felt unbelievably soft. Like, he didn't know things could _feel_ that soft.  
He was sure she'd kissed plenty of people before, but for him this was a first.  
He wouldn't have had it any other way, though. It was amazing.

Alexandra held the kiss for a long while, enjoying the closeness and intimacy of the embrace. He wouldn't have known, but it'd been a very long time since she'd kissed anyone. Pulling away, she looked at him again, eyes locking with his, a happy glimmer in her own.

The lights from the street outside filtering into the room next door was the only thing illuminating them now.

It was dark, but light enough so as they could see each other's faces clearly, and their eyes seemed to shine in comparison, locked onto each other's gaze.

A worry tugged at the back of her mind at how things might play out, but for the moment she was content to enjoy how things were.  
She watched his expression closely as he stared back at her, awestruck. A breathy "wow…" crept from his lips and she had to stop herself from giggling, as she leant back in to kiss him again.

 _So it wasn't a fluke?_ The thought crossed Shintaro's mind.  
He had a really bad tendency to overthink things, and this was absolutely no exception.

There usually tended to be a reason behind these kinds of things.  
Cause and effect, as it were.

But this time he was going to leave behind all the theories and notes and just go based on instinct. If he thought about it too much, he was bound to screw up anyway.

They sat there in the dark room for a while longer, just being together.  
Before long her kisses started to get more forceful, _hungrier_ , and he gladly complied, mouths being parted to grant each other entry.

She didn't need to ask permission from him, and at this point he was sure they both knew that.  
One of her hands reached around the back of his neck, holding his head in place; in an attempt to make each kiss last that little bit longer, before they inevitably had to break for air each time before diving back in again.

At some point, without Shintaro having realized it, they'd ended up laying on the bed, her leaning over him. He pulled her close with one hand behind her head, playing with her silky black hair, and the other at her lower back, leaning into her waist.

she started to tug at the collar of his shirt, which was high along his neck and getting in the way. He was about to take a breather and help her out, but it wasn't necessary; she'd figured out the clasp on her own within moments.  
Before either of them could say another word, she started undoing each hook in turn all the way down his torso, and then preceded to pull the shirt over the back of his shoulders and completely off of him.

Shintaro turned a deeper shade of red, _(If that were possible)_ and watched her expression anxiously for a moment and she stared at his half-naked form, _judging_ him, before turning away in utter embarrassment.

He was not a physically strong or attractive man by his own standards.  
Looking in a mirror, he would just get depressed about his lacking physical features.

It's not as though he was unhealthy or had a bad physique; but when he went to the Tavern and saw the strong fighters and warriors cheering in their revelry, he couldn't help but feel inadequate by comparison. Surely such a beautiful woman such as herself deserved only the best. Much better than him, at the very least.

Alexandra smiled at him a little sadly. Why was this man so self-conscious? Was there something that had made him this way?  
She wanted him to feel good, better about himself.  
She traced a finger down his chest, following it's lines and shapes, exploring it with the sensation of touch, watching his face for each and every reaction, no matter how minor.

The way he scrunched up his eyes and tried to catch his breath when her hand danced around bare skin was adorable- the breathy noises he tried to contain were intoxicating, and she wanted to hear more.

She replaced her fingertips with her lips, her feather light kisses leaving a hot trail up and down his body. She smiled through her work, thoroughly enjoying the reactions she was being rewarded with, each kiss eliciting a gasp from the man, who was biting his lip at the time. Some places produced a louder noise than others, and she couldn't deny that she was having fun.  
If she let Darolith guide her, and just relaxed and had fun with it, she knew that she would enjoy herself. And even if he tried to deny it, it was _pretty_ obvious that Shintaro was as well.

She moved further up and began to suck on a particularly sensitive spot along his collarbone, and he couldn't help but let out a gravelly moan of pleasure at what she was doing to him, arching his back as he went.

He had no idea how she seemed to know how his body worked so well. She knew it better than he did, at the very least. And he had studied human anatomy extensively.  
She clearly knew what it was she was doing, and he was a willing victim to her every touch.

In a moment of bravery, Shintaro took her chin and dove into a deep kiss, filled with both emotion and lust. With a few easy movements, taking this chance; he moved her in a way that ended up with him above her, now more in control.

However, even with his more domineering position, he hung there with his hair covering most of his face, hiding it away from her. It seemed like he wanted to ask something, but couldn't find the courage to do it.

He'd come so far, and she was proud of him for it, but he was still hesitating.

Something was holding him back, and she wished that she could help him to open up and let all of his worries go.  
When this started it had been him who was worried about her, but now they seemed to have switched places, and she was eager to help him in his quest for confidence, even at the cost of her own pride.

Seeing as though he couldn't bring himself to talk, even having opened and closed his mouth about five times in an attempt; she decided to make a move on her own.  
Shintaro just gaped at her as she began to pull up her shirt.

Part of her was panicking at how he might react at what he saw, but she refused to show it; remembering Darolith's words to her. She quietly prayed that Shintaro might accept her faults without hesitation.  
Her skin was white like ivory, and it looked pale and smooth to the touch. He longed to let his fingers glide along her curves in exploration, but waited in anticipation instead.

As she lifted her shirt off the rest of the way and discarded it on the floor by the bed, she took a long, drawn out breath. She still had and undercloth on, but that wasn't what concerned her.

Within a few moments of Shintaro scanning her beautiful form, he noticed an obvious scar along her shoulder that rolled onto her back. Most of it was obscured by their position, but he could tell that it was quite large and deep. It looked like it had been made with a blade.  
He tried not to react to it in particular, but couldn't help it, having stared for too long while he was analyzing it.

Alexandra's expression dropped as she noticed his gaze focus on the scar. _He's going to be like the rest, isn't he? Even after all this time, it's still going to happen._ She thought, fighting back the urge to cover herself back up; to hide and cry.

He noted her drop in expression, and quickly apologized for staring. There's no way she would feel comfortable with that,  
"Oh, I-I'm sorry… I didn't mean to stare like that.. I just... T-that was rude.. I'm sorry." He trailed off, finishing with another final apology.

He really hadn't meant anything by it, and she looked pretty upset by his reaction.  
 _Oh, you've really messed up this time, haven't you Shintaro?_ The voice in his head chastised him for his stupidity.

"It's okay, I'm used to it by now," she said, pain thick in her voice. She continued to avoid his eyes, placing her hand over the little bit of scar she knew was visible from his vantage. "Remember how I told you about Garlan? The scar never healed." She added, voice soft and emotionless.

Shintaro recalled the story she had told him earlier that evening; but what felt like a lifetime ago.  
It made him mad just to think about. How could a man who had fallen in love with a woman and married them then turn his back on all of that, and act so maliciously, and _violently_ towards those he had loved?  
The concept was absolutely barbaric to him.

The sound of lingering pain and regret was evident in Alexandra's voice, which was usually filled with joy. She was obviously holding herself back here.

"A-are you, alright?" He asked, moving a hand and gently placing it on her cheek, using his thumb to wipe away the tear she hadn't even noticed was forming. "I hope I didn't upset you."

Alexandra seemed to linger on the words, struggling with internal conflict about how to progress. "I… I'll be fine," she eventually spoke, the words less convincing than she would have liked. Seeming to come to a resolution, her eyes found difficulty meeting Shintaro's as she slid out from under him, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Her back now to him, the full degree of the scar could be seen. It ran from over her right shoulder all the way across her back to the left side of her waist. The scar, while clearly slashed, seemed to possess an eerie darkness to it, as though the flesh had been burnt in the process. She held herself, arms folded, as if fighting off the nonexistent cold.

Shintaro let out a quiet but breathy gasp upon the scar's full reveal, for a moment he just stared at it and then tentatively reached out a hand and lightly placed two fingers along the side of her scar.  
She flinched at first, but didn't seem to pull back at his touch.

Pausing for a moment, he slowly dragged his finger along the side of it, examining the scar in great detail, taking it all in.  
It certainly didn't _seem_ natural, the way it was so dark and callous, like it carried some sort of dark curse with it. Without saying a word, he leant forward and placed a single kiss near the start of the scar, in between her right shoulder and the nape of her neck.  
"You're so beautiful." He broke the long silence. " _All_ of you."

The reaction to the comment was immediate, as Alexandra turned to back face him, her face a crimson red. "No one's ever said that to me, not since this," a few tears beginning to well in her eyes. She forced herself on him again, kissing him passionately, pushing him back on to the bed. She broke the kiss for a moment, "thank you, Shintaro," was all she added, a grateful smile back on her face; her entire demeanour living up again.

Shintaro breathed in a gulp of air.  
First having the breath knocked out of him when she pushed him back down and having his only source of air blocked off on top of that made it necessary. As if she didn't take his breath away enough already.  
"You're welcome." He said with a smile before returning the favour.

"And you're sweet." Alexandra sniffed, lightly leaning her forehead against his. "Too sweet. I didn't know that guys like you still existed."

At that Shintaro started blushing again. "I-I try" he stammered. Trying his hardest and failing to sound cool.

She giggled. Shintaro's innocence was too adorable, it was such a refreshing change from the usual sleazy personalities she had to endure night after night.

His heart leapt bounds when he heard her soft laughter instilling him with confidence

That confidence was all he needed.

Even though she hung above him, he was the one who reached up and crossed his arms behind her neck, pulling her down so that their lips could meet again.

She smiled into the kiss, pushing herself even deeper into it, letting herself become enveloped by the passion in that one moment.

Together they explored each other's bodies, content to be together this night, learning things about each other they wouldn't have even dreamed of earlier in the evening.

Shintaro was surprised to find how well they worked together, both enjoying themselves and each other immeasurably.

Certainly, this wasn't a night either of them would forget any time soon.

* * *

Shintaro woke up fairly early the next morning.

At first, he almost jumped out of his skin. There was someone _in his bed!_

It took him at least a minute to realise that this wasn't, _actually_ his bed, and rather that _he_ was in _someone else's_ bed.  
He looked at the form in front of him, a woman in his arms- _completely_ naked.

His mind went into crisis as he recalled everything that had happened the night prior.

If he hadn't _just_ woken up, he would have assumed it was all some crazy dream.

Yesterday he never would have guessed he'd be waking up in a girl's bed the next morning.

He tried to contain himself and remove his arm from under Alexandra's slender form without waking her up.

As he carefully snuck off the end of the bed without disturbing her sleeping form, he searched around the floor for his pants.  
It made his face go red just to think about it. He looked around for a bit but couldn't differentiate the pieces of clothing scattered about the floor.

He blinked a few times to try to clear his vision.  
 _Oh._ he thought to himself in realization _I'm not wearing my glasses.  
_ They must have come off at some point last night. Strange that he hadn't even noticed; he supposed he was probably a little too distracted to care.

He looked at the bedside table and found them sitting right there.  
He quietly stepped over the pile of clothes and slipped his glasses back along the bridge of his nose.  
He needed to find his hair tie too- as if it wasn't bad enough in the morning, without something to hold it back his unruly mane was just a pain.

In a few moments he had regained and re-equipped his pants again, feeling a little better because of it.

He looked down at Alexandra's sleeping figure.

She was so beautiful. So perfect.

He leant down over her and craned his neck to kiss her lightly on the forehead, but not enough so as to wake her up.

She stirred a little, but only smiled before settling back into her slumber.

Shintaro smiled back at her and walked out of the room.

Entering the main part of Alexandra's house, he noticed that the curtains on the window were open.

He dashed over to them and drew them shut so as to avoid someone seeing him in this compromising state.

He stopped where he was an turned around slowly, horrified at what he realized.

From where he was, he could see directly into Alexandra's bedroom.

 _Where they were._

He actually thought that if it were possible to die of embarrassment, it would have happened to him. Right here, right now.

Chances were nobody saw anything last night- it _was_ pretty late, and not many people went around looking through windows, but the fact that there was a chance was almost enough to make him have a heart attack right then and there.

In that moment he decided.  
 _I'm not going to tell her._

Without giving any more thought; because he really _really_ didn't want to think about it, he stormed over to what looked like a kitchen with determination.

He'd made a comment about his cooking last night, and he intended to prove his skills.  
Cooking _was_ just like Alchemy, after all.

Or maybe that was supposed to be the other way around?  
Either way, regardless of what he had gone through yesterday, he was going to boil the _Hell_ out of these eggs!

Alexandra began to stir shortly after to the sound and smell of freshly cooking eggs. She smiled fondly at the thought that Shintaro had decided to stay, rather than flee in the early hours of the morning, but quickly waved the idea that he would even consider such a thing. That notion made her feel even better about him still.

She scanned the floor, looking for where her clothes had landed the night before. Finding her undergarments and shirt, she donned them before heading towards the kitchen (as her shirt was long enough as to be not completely immodest.) She tip toed out, as she got closer to the source of the cooking, and saw him standing over the stove, still shirtless. She admired him for awhile without saying anything, he was a lot more handsome than he seemed to credit himself for; not everything for so superficial as muscles to her.

Slowly walking forward, she surprised him by draping herself over his shoulders with a gleeful "Good morning!", kissing him on the cheek in the process.

Shintaro freaked out.

Somehow he'd been so absorbed in making sure the eggs came out perfectly that he hadn't noticed Alexandra sneaking up on him.

When she lovingly attacked him from the side he dropped the wooden spoon he was using into the pot, splashing boiling water all over himself, mostly his arm.

He managed to step in the way a little in his moment of clarity to stop it from splashing her.

"W-woah, s-sorry!" He spluttered, not having meant to react so drastically. "I-I didn't mean to uh…" He trailed off as the burns on his skin started to sting, and he realized how bad they were.

Alexandra let out a panicked squeak as it transpired, then began to apologise profusely, feeling terrible for what was only meant to be a bit of harmless fun. "Oh no, no, no, I'm sorry! This is my fault, here, let me help!" She offered, her words a constant stream as she grabbed his hand in one of her own, not waiting for permission, and held her free hand over the worst of the burn.

She began to sing, not unlike what he had heard in the Tavern the night before, but this time there was a more powerful emotion behind it; some greater power at work. Slowly the pain faded in Shintaro's arm as Alexandra worked her magic. (Literal magic)

Shintaro watched on in awe as she cast her spell, both on his arm and on him as a whole.

There was something mesmerizing about the way she did it.

Sure, if he'd gone to his bag and taken a sip of one of his potions, he could have healed it just as easily; but there was something much more wondrous about this… more intimate, and just downright more impressive.

"You're amazing, you know that, right?" He was looking directly at her, while she still had her eyes trained on his wounds, concentrating on finishing her work.

When she was done, she looked back up at him affectionately. "No more amazing than you are," she said, playfully, before glancing back at the stove. "I.. hope I haven't ruined breakfast," she added, embarrassment edging into her voice.

"Not at all!" He announced. "Surely breakfast can still be saved this day."  
They laughed a little at the exchange and he went back to prodding the eggs to see if they were done yet.  
As he did this, Alexandra got out a pair of plates and some bread, humming all the while.  
Even just like this, they both felt comfortable enough in each other's presence. Which, for Shintaro; was an amazing feat.

The eggs were done before long, and Shintaro carefully deshelled them, using all of his precision to make sure he didn't miss any shell. These were hands that could easily handle all sorts of dangerous ingredients and potions, so he had to be careful with these sorts of things.

Together they served breakfast onto the plates.  
Originally he had intended to do it all himself to prove a point, but she seemed keen to assist, and honestly he was glad of her help.

He carried them over while she stayed back and poured some orange juice she had stored away into a pair of glasses.

They sat down at her small table and ate in silence together for a while, just happy to be in one another's presence.

After a while, Shintaro broke the silence, keen to learn more about her. He wanted to know everything he could.  
"So you can use magic, then?" He asked, putting down his glass. "I think that's amazing.  
I always wished that I could use magic, but I just don't seem to have the natural ability for it." He laughed. "That's what first put me on to Alchemy in the first place."  
He continued on about how amazing she was, though, with disregard to her actually responding.  
"But healing magic, now that's something else! To be able to close someone's wounds just like that? It's amazing!"

Alexandra blushed a little at the heaped praise. "It's actually something relatively new, I've only had the ability to do this for the last six years," she spoke while examining her own hands, looking them over as if they weren't her own. "I guess there's a good side to every encounter," she added, a far off look in her eye. If Shintaro hadn't been drinking the night before, he may have recognised it at the same expression she seemed to develop every time she thought of the scar on her back, and the incident all those years ago.

"Heh." he scoffed to himself briefly reminding himself of where they'd been only the morning prior. "I'd like to think that's the case, at least."  
He stared into his glass of juice, thinking to himself, _six years isn't what I would call 'new'._ And then he reminded himself that unlike him, she was an elf, and was probably a _lot_ older than him, and had probably seen a lot more than him, too.  
Except, y'know… he _literally_ came back from Hell yesterday.

The was a long moment where Alexandra pondered whether to continue, her pensiveness clearly written on her face as she continued to look at her hands. "The scar was cursed," she said after a while without looking up. Her voice held a sudden seriousness, as though what she was about to tell him was of the utmost importance.

Sintaro noted the serious tone in her voice, and looked up at her, who was still staring daggers at her bread, seemingly deep in thought.

"That… makes sense as to why you couldn't heal it then, I suppose." He spoke quietly, almost more to himself than her, and then waited for her to continue.

"The sword Garlan used was imbued by a being called Thousand Face, we eventually discovered. It caused the possessor to slowly be driven mad by their own desires and dark thoughts, the things most people hide. It was only at the sight of my blood by his hand that broke him from its grip. Nobody knew that at the time though." She choked on those last words, not wanting to continue where that road lead.

Having earlier thought very angry things about the man of which Alexandra mentioned, Shintaro suddenly felt a little guilty for it, and even felt sorry for the guy.

It was these sorts of premature judgments that led to tragedy.

"On top of that," she added, avoiding any further mention of Garlan's fate, "anybody who was struck by the sword became affected by a curse of a different design, a curse that evoked the opposite feeling to one thing they held precious to them. In my case, it was because I held beauty so high in regard that the scar could not be removed, nor could the curse itself be removed by regular means.

"I saw the world in such a beautiful way, through song and creation, and happiness. Beauty in every little thing that I could. That's where the true pain followed. For months no one would look at me properly whenever so much as a glimpse of the scar caught there eye, there wasn't even a reason, they just suddenly started to turn face. I began to lose confidence in myself in more ways than one. That everything could still be so beautiful to me, but the world thought I was an ugly mark was agonising."

Shintaro couldn't understand the reasoning behind that, to him; if anything, the scar made her more beautiful. It proved to him that she was a living, mortal being, just like himself.

She'd been through hardships just like everyone else, and her scar was just a reminder of the things she couldn't bring herself to let go.

"I think you're beautiful, scar or not." He said, with a completely serious tone; not even a trace of a smile on his face. "It just proves that you're mortal like everyone else. Some people bare scars on their body, others in their heart, but they can only serve to make you stronger. Nobody can really take away who you are like that. Even if some idiots will judge you for it, that just proves that they're below you and no way near worth your time."  
He began to falter a little here before adding with a smile, finally breaking his dark expression, "And besides, that's only your outer beauty- that's nothing to be said of the beauty on the inside! I bet your soul is more beautiful than Aphrodite herself!" He exclaimed.

She smiled at the sentiment briefly, not wanting to detract from its meaning to her. _If only you could see your own soul shining,_ she thought to herself. Letting out a small sigh, not inherently tired or sad in meaning, she continued. "There was a catch though, it was what the sword had done, the curse was in the scar itself and so anyone who saw it was repulsed; they saw the polar opposite to how I saw the world."

"Huh?" He spoke quizzically "But I saw it, and I'll have you know I thought no such thing." He was genuinely intrigued by the whole thing, really. But didn't want to seem careless.

She chuckled, amusement radiating from her very being at the statement. "That's the thing though, it used to be cursed. It's not any more," came the reply, a warmness in it less serious than the rest of what she had said so far. She genuinely appreciated the way he spoke to her, despite his minor brashness at times.

"Really?" He said, deep in thought "Who'd've thought it'd work like that?" He half mumbled to himself, staring at his glass of juice, pondering a few things.  
"You want to know what I think?" He turned directly at her, a serious look on his face.  
"What I really truly _honestly_ think?"

She looked back at him, a little startled by the sudden directness of the question. Her mind started to worry at what he might say, Darolith had promised her the curse was broken but now she worried that maybe something else lingered. She nodded, a shy, hesitant nod, almost as if their personas had switched.

"I think…" He started, as though he was about to start a long tangent, and took a long, deep, dramatic breath before continuing. "That beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And, while I may not have very good eyesight, I can tell you that you're the most beautiful being I have ever in my entire life of a long twenty eight years _ever_ had the pleasure of laying my eyes on." He stopped for a moment to clear his throat. "And I think I've known that since the moment I first saw you up on that stage, curse, scar, or not. It doesn't even matter."  
He tried to keep his serious act up for as long as he could.

Alexandra just stared, utterly shocked by the outburst, completely unsure of what to say to begin with. Suddenly a deep heartache filled her, a mix between longing and loneliness as all the pain the curse had caused her began to flood back in. _Why did I only find you now?_ She thought, utterly convinced that even if she was still cursed, it wouldn't have stopped Shintaro from seeing things the way he did. A few tears began to well at the corner of her eyes, a mix of joy and the pain she felt inside.

"You really are a strange one," she said, voice cracking slightly, through a smile that betrayed her tears. She reached across the table, placing her hands upon his, "if only everyone saw the world the way you do."

Shintaro saw the tears beginning to well in her eyes and jumped up suddenly from his chair, standing alert.

"O-oh hey, I didn't say something to offend you did I?" He rambled, shocked that she was all of a sudden crying after what he'd said. _Maybe I was too insensitive_ he thought.

It took him a moment to realize that standing up from his chair so roughly had caused the small remainder of his juice to topple over and spill out all over the table.  
"Aah!" He exclaimed in distress "What am I even _doing?!"_

Alexandra jumped up with a start, eyes suddenly clear and focused on cleaning the mess. She rushed over to where she kept some of her spare rags and brought one over to soak up the spilt drink. She let out a little giggle as she did. "You didn't offend me, by the way, it was just.. Some memories, and they hurt. I just needed a wake up from memory lane, that was all. You certainly gave me that." She said, turning to smile at him.

"W-well, I'm glad I could help." He said, scruffing the back of his neck, his unruly and loose bedhead flicking up every which way. He couldn't tame that thing if he tried. (not that he ever did)  
He did think it strange though, that she wished people would see the world his way; considering to him the world was a rather dreary place. It was the people inside it that really made it special. The bonds that you make.

He was sure that the way she saw the world must have been much more beautiful. Especially if she somehow managed to see something worthwhile in a guy like himself.  
He was eternally grateful for that, and would be for a long time to come, it seemed.

He'd like to have said that he met her on a day like any other; but he couldn't.

That day would go down as one of the greatest days he'd ever have the experience of living through; because it was the day he met the love of his life.


End file.
